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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC00493.12 |
| From Archive Folder | Confederate war etchings |
| Title | Slaves concealing their master from a search party |
| Date | ca. 1880-1890 |
| Author | Volck, Adalbert John (1828-1912) |
| Document Type | Artwork |
| Content Description | Depicts an enslaved woman, barefoot and wearing a kerchief on her head, directing mounted Federal soldiers elsewhere as her master hides within the slave cabin. The dog that accompanies the search party appears half-wild and vicious, sniffing at the doorstep of the cabin. Certain elements of the sketch suggest a violent disruption to this domestic scene. A chair is overturned; a small child cowers in distress, clinging tightly to his father. The man on the stool in front of the fireplace with the frying pan and the plate of food on the table suggest that the family was preparing a meal when the master barged in, demanding refuge. Whether or not the protection offered to the master by his slaves was voluntary is unclear, since the gentleman is armed with a small pistol. Size in extent is for the mount. The actual size of the etching is 20.1 x 26.7 cm. Title in pencil on verso. |
| Subjects | African American History Slavery Art, Music, Theater, and Film Civil War Union Forces Women's History Confederate States of America |
| People | Volck, Adalbert John (1828-1912) |
| Place written | s.l. |
| Theme | Government & Politics; Slavery & Abolition; The American Civil War |
| Sub-collection | Papers and Images of the American Civil War |
| Additional Information | Adalbert John Volck was a dentist, political cartoonist, and a caricaturist who sympathized with the Southern cause. During the Civil War, Volck supported the Confederacy through his satirical political cartoons. He also smuggled drugs and medical supplies for the Confederate army, and served as a personal courier to President Jefferson Davis. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |